#008 A guide to the cafes of Basildon
Getting outside is good / Light switch uncertainty
Hello Diagram Club
Thank you for opening email eight. hello to new readers - there’s 570 more of you than a month ago, which is lovely. Welcome!
Cycling cartoon of the week
An actual new drawing. You’ll find it in the diagram library here: For this moment, at least.
It’s a reminder, to me if no one else, that getting outside is a good way to escape, for a moment, all the things that normally occupy my mind. I’m aware that not everyone can ride a bike, or has a safe place to ride a bike, hence the small print at the end.
Household Problem of the week
Thanks to Sara for this idea, shared in a big tent in a field near Kettering..
Do you have any household problems? If so and you think they might be suitable material for a Household Problems diagram I’d love to hear from you. Kitchen, garden, cleaning, decorating, decluttering, maintenance, or any other category you can think of would be great. You can reply to this email or contact me on just about any social media platform except LinkedIn which I’m sorry to say I’ve never really got on with.
Household Problems is available in website, Instagram, and Twitter-thread form, but you’ll see them on this newsletter first of all.
Admin announcements / Matters arising
Nothing to report. Anyone else? OK, let’s move on.
And now, our headline feature, snappily titled:
A guide to the cafes of Basildon and the surrounding area (but not including London)
Initial disclaimer: This is fairly niche content. But I’d strongly advise reading it thoroughly, otherwise if you ever find yourself in South Essex and needing a good cafe to go to you could find yourself woefully uninformed. (Tone this down - Editor)
Introductory information. I love going to a cafe, to think, to write, to draw, to have ideas, sometimes to talk to a friend, or just to look out of the window at things. Doing so most days, as I now tend to do, has really improved my work life. I thought I’d list my top 5 in my town of Basildon, or (as we don’t really have 5 good cafes), other places easily accessible on the train. London isn’t included, as it would open up a can of complication. And just to say, etiquette-wise: I always buy drinks at regular intervals, and won’t sit there using up a table for ages if it’s busy.
But before I start, the also-rans: cafes I really like and have been to a good number of times, but didn’t include as I no longer go there that often: Barlow and Fields in Leigh, The Hub at Hadleigh Park (Olympic mountain bike course). Least favourite local cafe: Starbucks at Pipps Hill. Slow, that whole writing your name on the cup rigmarole, lack of windows, shifty customers (Can I say that? Editor: Not really.)
No 5: Towngate Theatre, Basildon. I’m a fan of theatre cafes, and so there’s two on this list. This one isn’t that atmospheric, but often quiet. Don’t park your best bike outside, but inside feels like a good place to get things done.
No 4: Cliffs Pavillion, Westcliff. If we are talking view, this wins - you can see over the estuary towards such places as the pier and Kent, and it’s glorious. I combine doing some work here with walking along the promenade. Food quite reasonable, all things considered.
No 3. Orleto Lounge, Basildon. If ever I’m in town I try to pop in for a coffee with my notebook to sit on the diverse seating. I’ll be honest, I tend not to use my tablet here that often, but my word, I’ve done some useful notebook scribbling. The Lounge has an app, and everything. You’ve probably got one in your town.
No 2: The Hatch, Leigh-on-Sea. This is also the annotated photograph of the week.
I’m going to make a bold statement: It’s my favourite pier-train cafe anywhere. I love Old Leigh, I’m there quite a lot, and this is my drawing location of choice. The Hatch is near to The Fishermen’s Chapel, which I’ll write more about another time. But I don’t know anyone here, unlike…
No 1: Essex Wildlife Trust Langdon Discovery Centre, aka ‘The cafe’ in my parlance.
Reasons I love this cafe. I can cycle there. It’s so friendly. It’s like a soap opera of wonderful characters. So I am there a lot. Genuinely: It has done more for my mental wellbeing and work progress than anything else in recent years.
In issue #002 James asked: ‘Loved the info on the Café - would appreciate updates on lovely staff and fellow café-goers (the annotated photo was much appreciated)’.
Well, here’s the thing James - it is a bit tricky as I really do have to have to protect people’s privacy, but here are a few snippets of info which I (sort-of) have permission to share:
I was doing some Christmas-themed work a week or two back, and Yasmine brought me a Christmas tea in a Christmas mug for inspiration (photo above). The festive music didn’t go down brilliantly with everyone present, it must be said, but by the next day everyone had more-or-less got over it.
The art group continue to meet on a Monday, and they are so welcoming to me. I lurk on the periphery, not joining in, but also not not joining in. At 11am the traditional Moving Of The Tables ceremony takes place. The aim is to make sure that everyone has the perfect view of the apples or violin. It takes about half an hour and involves significant debate, but always entirely amicable. It’s a model for the way world peace could potentially be achieved.
Chloe finished her dissertation. Hooray!
Essex Wildlife Trust management, if you’re reading (unlikely): The place is a gem, and the staff are lovely and do such a good job. And of course, it’s encouraging people to get outdoors and appreciate the open spaces and wildlife we are fortunate to have even though we’re so close to London.
Everyone else. The website for Langdon Nature Discovery Park is here. Please support your local Wildlife Trust if you can by becoming a member.
Studio Playlist update
This is where I pick some of the music I’m been listening to, and you probably ignore it. You can find the playlist here: Dave Walker Studio Playlist 2024
Oasis have, of course, been in the news. I did some Oasis-themed cartoons a very very long time ago, but they might be best left unrepublished… For this week’s Studio Playlist theme I’m making a tangential connection, with tracks in the Artists, Britpop or otherwise, I listened to a reasonable amount around the sort of time that Oasis were very popular category.
Supergrass - I’d like to know. Around this time (1996) Mr Killingback sold me a very reasonably-priced CD player that was very good value, but needed a 50p piece jammed into the door to function. I bought various Supergrass CD singles as that was what you did in those days. Was this a b-side? Can’t remember.
The Beautiful South - Hot on the heels of heartbreak. Played Carry on up the charts a lot. Love this tune, which I hadn’t really noticed until Bob Mortimer picked it on Desert Island Discs.
The Divine Comedy - Down in the street below. Aforementioned CD player often contained The Frog Princess, and I think in those days a 20p would suffice. I’ve been a fan of Neil Hannon’s writing ever since, and seen The Divine Comedy live more than once (twice). Yes, odd choice of track.
James - Of monsters and heroes and men. “Rambling poets, manic with vision
We are the drivers, yet we feel driven”. Again, niche James choice, but a favourite.
Colour of the week (unashamed filler)
A really deep beige.
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Dave
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